The Chichinautzin Biological Corridor is a protected natural area in central Mexico. It is located south of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

in the

Sierra de Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin The Sierra del Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin, (Ajusco-Chichinautzin Mountain Range) also known as ''Serranía del Ajusco'' or ''Sierra de Chichinauhtzin'', is a Mexican mountain range located between Mexico City and the states of Morelos and Mexico. It m ...

, an east–west chain of volcanic mountains which are part of the

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...

Geography

The Chichinautzin Biological Corridor covers an area of 319.05 km² in the northern portion of

Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuer ...

state, on the border with the

State of Mexico The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...

. The corridor consists of two separate parts, which lie east and west of

El Tepozteco National Park El Tepozteco National Park is a national park in Morelos state of central Mexico. It protects 232.59 km2 in the mountains of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The park includes El Tepozteco, an archeological site featuring an Aztec temple. G ...

. The western portion contains the volcanoes Cerro Chichinautzin () and Cuatzin (). It is bounded on the west by

Lagunas de Zempoala National Park Lagunas de Zempoala National Park is a natural protected area which consists of a group of seven lagoons. In the Nahuatl language, "Zempoala" means "place of many waters." The park is located between the states of Morelos and State of Mexico, Mexi ...

and Zempoala–La Bufa Otomí-Mexica Ecological Park, on the north by San Miguel Topilejo Ecological Reserve, on the east by El Tepozeco National Park. The city of

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D. The na ...

lies to the south. The eastern portion is bounded on the west by El Tepozeco National Park and on the northwest by Milpa Alta Protected Area.

Flora and fauna

Pine-oak forests are the main plant community in the corridor, with species of pine, oak, and oyamel (fir) as the predominant trees. The Chichinautzin Biological Corridor is a protected natural area with a remarkable diversity of habitats and species due to its geographic and climatic conditions. There are 785 species of plants, 315 species of fungi (more than 80 edible), 10 species of amphibians, 43 species of reptiles, 1,348 species of insects and spiders, 237 of birds (36 exclusive to this region), and 5 species of fish in the corridor. It is home to several limited-range species endemic to the mountains of Central Mexico, including the

volcano rabbit The volcano rabbit (''Romerolagus diazi''), also known as teporingo or zacatuche, is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico.Hoth, J., A. Velázquez F. Romero, L. León, M. Aranda and D. Bell, 1987. The Volcano Rabbit- a Shrinking ...

(''Romerolagus diazi''),

Mexican volcano mouse The Mexican volcano mouse (''Neotomodon alstoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae endemic to high elevation areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Taxonomy and systematics Merriam originally described the Mexican volcano mous ...

(''Neotomodon alstoni''), cross-banded mountain rattlesnake (''Crotalus transversus''), and mountain stream salamander (''Ambystoma altamirani'')."Chichinautzin Biological Corridor Flora and Fauna Protection Area". ParksWatch Park Profile, October 2002. Accessed 15 November 2021

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Conservation

The Chichinautzin Biological Corridor was designated in 1988 to create a continuous protected area that connects

with

. The total area protected by the biological corridor and the two national parks is 660.92 km².

References

{{reflist Flora and fauna protection areas of Mexico Protected areas of Morelos Protected areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt